Lost
by Queen Bookworm the First
Summary: A slice of Ted's life on the run. All he has left of Andromeda is an old tape machine. For Eclipses Riddle.


Quidditch Pitch: It fell. (sentence)

Drabble Club: night (word)

Greek Mythology Category Competition: Meliae: Write about two things/people inseparable.

200 Characters in 200 Days: Ted Tonks

Emotion Challenge: Greedy

 **AN:** This was written for Eclipses Riddle. I used the word prompts empty, solitude, and shattered and the genre Angst. And, of course, the pairing Ted/Andromeda. Also, this takes place before Ted joins Dirk Cresswell, Gornuk, and Griphook.

* * *

 _He cupped her face in his hands, drinking in that smile. How beautiful it was… he was content to let him ensnare him and never let go._

 _Then, ever so slowly, he leaned forward, his caress hesitant, tinged with the slightest bit of fear. His lips were only a breath way, and he was about to close the distance—_

" _Don't leave me, Ted!" a voice sobbed._

* * *

Ted jolted awake, drenched in sweat. He rolled over onto his back, staring up at the night sky. The stars twinkled as if nothing is wrong, but he knew that it's just a deceiving flicker of hope. He could see a hint of glowing green far, far away, and he couldn't help but wonder who was killed this time.

The dreams taunted him every night, bringing those rosy lips so close, then taking them away. They left him feeling so _empty_. Like his solitude was going to last forever, and he was never going to see _her_ again. His only comfort was the old tape machine he gripped now.

Ted pushed himself up and rummaged through his worn backpack. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding when he pulls out a cassette. He slid it into the tape machine.

He pressed the play button, licking his chapped lips. The sound crackled for a few moments, and he desperately hoped that he hadn't lost _her_ voice. Ted waited with baited breath as the sound flickered in and out of existence.

His heart burst with joy when the sound stopped crackling. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh as he bathed in the sound of her laugh. "'Dromeda…" Ted leaned against the tree, pressing the replay button again and again, unable to let go of her laugh.

He replaced the cassette, enjoying the way it clicked in like it was meant to fill the emptiness he felt. This time, the soft, tender voice of Andromeda hangs in the air.

 _I love you, Ted._

 _I'm here._

 _I love you._

 _I love you._

 _Ted._

 _Ted._

 _Ted._

 _Ted._

A small smile crept onto his lips, but it quickly twisted into an expression of longing. He had her voice, her words, but it wasn't enough. He always wanted _more._ More than just a voice, just a laugh. He wanted to _see_ her lips form those words, see her smile.

He didn't know if he was being greedy, but it sure seemed like it. But he couldn't help it.

Ted hugged the tape machine, a tear running down his cheek; he knew it might seem childish, but it was all he had.

* * *

He woke up from another dream, panting. He sat against the rough wall of the cliff, eyes sweeping over the river below him. Ted stared at the tape machine and slid in a cassette, waiting for the crackling sound to fade away into Andromeda's sweet voice. The image of her lips, so tantalizingly close, stayed imprinted in his mind.

"Andromeda," he whispered, her name such a simple but desperate plea. Ted buried his face in his hands, hugging his knees to his chest, soft sobs rocking his gaunt figure.

Andromeda's voice filled the air, seeping into his ears like a faded lullaby. He gripped the handle of the tape machine, his knuckles turning white.

But her voice wasn't enough. Another tendril of greed joined the others at his heart, forming an unbreakable cage. Ted glared at the tape machine, curling his fingers around the handle tighter.

On an impulse, he pushed the tape machine over the edge of the cliff, his eyes widening as he did. His hands seemed to have a mind of their own.

It fell.

A strangled sob escaped his lips as he watched the tape machine hit the jagged rocks in the river, the shattered black carried away in the roar of the river.

"No," Ted said, pulling at his hair. "No!" He reached over the edge, stretching his arm to its limit. As if that would get it back.

He had let the greed take over him.

He had lost Andromeda.


End file.
